Miguel and Kristina de Santiago are our resident missionaries in the Dominican Republic and have been closely following the results of the recent earthquake in Haiti. They live not far from the Haitian border and have begun to respond to the needs of their neighbors. They have spent the last 24 hours gathering supplies, food, and resources in order to bring adequate relief across the border.
Last night, Miguel and his disciple Ronnie gathered supplies and left San Juan. Just before leaving, Miguel wrote, “May God meet these people in their brokenness, healing wounded hearts, giving hope to the hopeless, are reveling to a nation the true life that is found only in one place, Jesus Christ.”Earlier today, Kristina reported the following, after hearing from Miguel:
I just got word from Miguel and Ronnie who are in the Dominican town of Jimani, which is a border town with Haiti. They had a busy afternoon buying food and distributing to local pastors who are helping with relief efforts.The report is that in many Haitians have been crossing the border seeking safety and medical attention. (Correction: Most people that are at the hospital have been helicoptered in from Port Au Prince. Not sure yet the situation at the border with people coming in.) An American surgical team that had been working in San Juan, traveled to Jimani last night and have operated on five today. The hospital is full, with patients lying on the floors. Supplies are low. Another team of American doctors who had been working here in San Juan are currently en route to Jimani and hope to pull a 24-hour shift at the hospital. They are taking whatever supplies they had with them.When I called, Miguel was with some of the surgeons who were helping a Haitian woman give birth. Thanks for praying, everyone.
This evening, Kristina shared another update:
[Miguel] and Ronnie will be crossing into Haiti around 8am tomorrow and will head for the town of Croix des Boquets which is East of Port Au Prince.More and more people continue to arrive in Jimani (a Dominican border town about 40 or so miles from the capital of Haiti) where he is now. Buses of people are arriving, and the hospital is overflowing. Many of the injuries are devastating and surgeries are being put on hold because of equipment problems. Medical supplies and personnel continue to be a huge need all throughout Haiti and now in the Dominican border hospitals as well.Miguel was able to buy a bunch of food and one of the local churches cooked a meal for 250 people at the hospital including all the patients as well as the doctors who had not eaten all day. They are looking to cook 800-900 meals tomorrow. Thank you all who are donating money!I’ll continue to update as more information comes in. Hopefully more aid will be arriving to Jimani soon. The European Union arrived today, and Miguel spotted a Red Cross truck East of the town. Tomorrow afternoon/evening, I should have some news from inside of Haiti.
Haiti has had a history of security issues, so please be in prayer for safe passage for Ronnie and Miguel tomorrow. We will continue to post blogs, reports, and summaries of the events in Haiti as they unfold. You can subscribe to email alerts for immediate updates.
If you would like to give a gift to the AIM Haiti Earthquake Relief fund, please click here.
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